Today is the day, at 12 o’clock the Big Brother Knossi Edition starts. Jens “Knossi” Knossala (37) moves in together with some of his “7 vs. Wild” colleagues and other influencers into the “Big Brother” house on Twitch. Recently, Knossi provided more information about the stay in the container.
We have updated the article on December 12 at 10:30 a.m. Additional candidates have been added.
What is the “Big Brother: Knossi Edition”? After years of attempts, Knossi has succeeded in winning the “Big Brother” house for himself and a number of guests. He and his guests will move into the house of the regular “Celebrity Big Brother” season for 57 hours. We have already reported in detail about the Knossi Edition when not so many guests were confirmed.
Who is moving into the “Big Brother” house? In addition to Knossi, 10 other guests are invited. Each day, there are also supposed to be day guests who are only visiting the “Big Brother” house for one day. So far, the following future residents are attending:
Influencer Jens “Knossi” Knossala (37)
Twitch streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris (35)
Comedian Ilka “Cindy aus Marzahn” Bessin (52)
IRL streamer Adam “SkylineTV” Wolke
Extreme sportsman Joey Kelly (50)
Model Mark Eggers (37)
“7 vs. Wild” co-founder Fritz Meinecke (34)
TikToker Ann-Kathrin “Affe auf Bike” Bendixen (23)
DJ Manny Marc (43)
“Big Brother” veteran Jürgen Milski (60)
YouTuber Starletnova (24)
Streamer Tanzverbot (26)
Streamer quiteLola (29)
Some guests who were announced are presumably only day guests. One confirmed day guest is Sascha “unsympathischTV” Hellinger (28). However, there have also been some cancellations, such as:
Moderator Alexander “Elton” Duszat (52)
Rapper Paul “Sido” Würdig (43)
Rapper Nils “Finch” Wehowsky (33)
Reality star Daniela Katzenberger (37)
Football player Alisha Lehmann (24)
Football player Max Kruse (35)
According to Knossi, they all could not participate due to time constraints.
In our video, you can learn more about Knossi.
Start video
From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
The “Big Brother: Knossi Edition” has different rules to make it a positive experience
What is different from “Celebrity Big Brother”? An important rule change concerns the topic of mobile phones. The participants of the Knossi Edition are allowed to use their mobile phones in the “Big Brother” house. However, Knossi has already revealed that this right may also be revoked if games are lost.
Knossi had wished for a whirlpool in the house, but this was not possible due to cost reasons. The whirlpool would have to be transported into the already built set by crane, which would probably have exceeded the budget. The Knossi Edition therefore takes place in the regular set of season 11 of “Celebrity Big Brother”.
What kind of programming will be offered? In the Knossi Edition, there will be games as usual, which are important to earn amenities. Also, activities are supposed to happen during the day, which will keep the residents on their toes. Knossi wants to make the experience not too hard so that none of his guests leave the house.
When does it start? The “Big Brother: Knossi Edition” starts today, on December 12, 2023 at 12 o’clock. The event will be broadcast live on Knossi’s Twitch channel. The summaries of the days and exclusive clips will be available on the video service Joyn.
Unlike the regular season of Celebrity Big Brother, the stars in the Knossi Edition are only locked in the container for 57 hours.
Whether MontanaBlack will really move into the container with Knossi remains to be seen. The Twitch streamer has previously cancelled events he was invited to.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In LEGO Fortnite, you can build, hunt, and craft together with your friends in a world. How to share the key to your world with other players can be found on MeinMMO.
To be able to share a world with friends, you logically first need to create one. You can do this in the Fortnite lobby by selecting the game LEGO Fortnite and then clicking on “Select World.” There you have the option to create a new world or join a shared one.
Once you have created a world, you can enter it together with your friends through the lobby. To do this, invite the other players to your group. You can always play together in a world if the creator and owner of the world is online. If you want to continue playing alone, you need to share a key for that.
Start video
Epic Games shows LEGO Fortnite in the cinematic trailer
How to distribute keys to your friends
How can I share a key? To give your friends a key to your world, you enter it together in LEGO Fortnite. For this, you must be the group leader. Once in the game, open the map and click on “Players” at the top.
There you now have the option to invite players from your friends list into your world and thereby give them a key.
Step-by-step instructions in brief:
Enter the lobby of LEGO Fortnite and invite friends to the group
Create a world as the group leader and enter the world
Open the map and click on “Players”
Invite players via the friends list
How many friends can I give a key to? You can give a key to a total of 7 friends, thus you can play in co-op with up to 8 people in a world in LEGO Fortnite. However, keep in mind that these players will also have access to your world, the loot, and the buildings without you.
If someone is causing trouble in your world or for other reasons should not want to have a key anymore, you can easily revoke it through the menu.
And if hunger plagues you in LEGO Fortnite and you are wondering how to best satisfy it, we have the right article for you here: LEGO Fortnite: How to satisfy your hunger
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO there is a Spotlight Hour with Jurob today, December 12, 2023. We will show you everything about Shinys, the bonuses, and the event times in the overview.
What kind of event is this? Every Tuesday evening, an event of this kind takes place in Pokémon GO. For one hour, a selected Pokémon is in the spotlight of the game and can often be found by you. In addition, there is a bonus that gives you more Stardust, candies, or experience points. The combination of Pokémon and bonuses that appear at the events is determined by Niantic at the beginning of each month.
Today you will encounter the Pokémon Jurob from the first generation of games. It belongs to the Water type and can evolve into Jugong.
Spotlight Hour on December 12 – Start, Shiny and Bonuses
When does it start? The Spotlight Hour starts at 6:00 PM as usual. After one hour, at 7:00 PM, it will already be over, and the event spawns from the new “Hard Times” event will reappear.
What bonuses are active? During the event, you will encounter Jurob almost everywhere in the wild. If you want, you can activate a smoke and lure even more Pokémon of this type.
Additionally, you will receive double the amount of candies for sending Pokémon.
Today marks the second Spotlight Hour in December. Two more events like this await you this year:
Can you catch Shiny Jurob? Yes, the shiny form of Jurob has been active in Pokémon GO for a long time and can be caught by you. You also have the chance for it at today’s event. However, keep in mind that the shiny chances are not increased during Spotlight Hours.
Is it worth attending the Spotlight Hour today? Unfortunately, Jurob and Jugong are not strong attackers that would be useful for raids. There is simply too much strong competition in their type categories. However, Jugong has a very special purpose: the Super League of trainer battles. There, it belongs to the upper midfield of the best attackers.
However, you can use the time to tidy up your collection and earn many candies.
Will you participate in the Spotlight Hour today or will you skip the event this time?
The new “Abattoir of Zir” dungeon in Diablo 4 was too hard, tedious, and unrewarding for many players. Blizzard made adjustments, but the community still doesn’t seem fully satisfied.
“Abattoir of Zir” (translated as Zirs slaughterhouse in English) is a new endgame challenge where particularly tough opponents await you. As a reward for completing it, you will receive the glyph “Tears of Blood”. The dungeon is supposed to offer a challenge for all players who are essentially done with Season 2 and have nothing more to do in Diablo 4.
However, the community on Reddit now says: There’s still room for improvement. “Abattoir of Zir” is better now, but not perfect.
What the developers have planned for Diablo 4 can be seen in this video:
Start video
BlizzCon 2023: Diablo 4 leaders talk to us about the development and future of the game
One problem is the unbalanced difficulty
Why is it still not perfect? Presumably, such a challenge can never be perfect for all players. But a few of them are gathering some ideas and wishes in a post on Reddit from “tjglaser1s” about what would make the challenge better.
The author of the post writes on December 10 that he has enjoyed climbing the levels of the “Abattoir of Zir” dungeon so far. It’s not perfect, but it offers a challenge that makes players have to look closely at every aspect, every ability, and their gear.
His biggest critique lies in the difference between the mobs and the bosses:
I think at this point my biggest critique is the massive power difference between the difficulty of the mobs and the difficulty of the Bloodseekers. It just doesn’t feel good at all. As a necromancer, I reached level 12 today and can shred through the mobs and feel absolutely invulnerable… only to be taken out in one hit by the Bloodseekers.
I understand that the content is supposed to be hard. But the problem is the performance difference between all the enemies leading up to the Bloodseekers. The balance is just not there yet, and this gap needs to be closed.
Apart from that, he suggests additional things that could make the experience a bit more rewarding. The glyph XP feels quite good at the moment, but the rest of the rewards “could use some love”.
What else should be improved? In the post, “tjglaser1s” writes that players should receive a random chest with materials in every run. To try different builds for the levels of “Abattoir of Zir”, he has consumed many materials.
Additionally, he thinks that item rewards could have an increased chance for Uber Uniques, rising with the levels of the dungeon. For example, he suggests receiving gear with a minimum item power of 900 at the first levels of the dungeon plus a 0.5% chance for Uber Uniques (via Reddit).
What does the community say about it? In the comments, other players share their experiences with the challenge as well as ideas and criticism. “Pantarus” also notes that his deaths feel random and that the Bloodseekers are too strong. He wants to learn something from his character’s deaths, but it feels more frustrating.
“ScottdaDM” writes in the comment:
A character of appropriate level and gear is dead in one blow… that’s not good. It feels more like a lottery than a skill game.
He also wishes to receive seal powder for the runs – enough for the next level of the dungeon.
“RavenousIron” finds the underlying idea cool. It encourages players to give their best. He doesn’t think that’s enough, but it’s “a step in the right direction. It’s a building block that still needs to be refined over time.”
On December 12, the Midwinter Pest begins in Diablo 4. The event offers you new mechanics, items, and rewards that you can earn throughout the winter days.
In line with the start, the developers have explained the event and give tips on how to make the most of the Midwinter Pest:
On December 9, the LoL World Champion T1 faced NNO Old at the “Red Bull League of Its Own” event at the Velodrome in Berlin – and it was spectacular. MeinMMO author Fabienne Kissel was present on Saturday and reports from the game.
What an event it was? Well-known European teams along with the German streamer team NNO Old participated and faced the challenge of playing League of Legends against the South Korean super team T1.
T1 won the LoL Worlds this year, and the living legend Faker secured his fourth World Championship title. For many players and streamers, it is a dream to be able to play against T1, and NNO Old has fulfilled this dream.
Normally only the top teams play against T1. With “Red Bull League of Its Own,” a unique format was created. The event sold out within 3 hours.
Special rules for T1:
These teams were present: T1, G2, Karmine Corp, Team Heretics, BIG, Eintracht Spandau, NNO Old.
BIG and Eintracht Spandau played against each other first to decide who could face T1.
All matches were a Best-of-One, and T1 had special rules in the friendly tournament.
The players from T1 faced a special challenge as they had to choose a different champion in each match. They were prohibited from selecting champions that had already been used against them or that they had played in previous matches.
Bans and non-T1 matches were not part of the pool restrictions.
In the last show match – G2 against T1 – the rules were lifted.
All further framework information about the event can be read here:
NNO Old vs T1: A spectacle full of emotional surprises
Almost 500,000 people (via escharts) followed the game of NNO Old against T1, including about 7,000 spectators on-site who experienced the captivating atmosphere live. Despite T1’s apparent superiority, the fans cheered with all their might for NNO, creating an electrifying atmosphere in the hall.
The atmosphere in the hall reached a climax as the names of the NNO players were individually shouted by the audience – an unforgettable moment that moved me and gave me goosebumps.
Which champions were picked?
NNO Old:
Camille (Tolkin)
Brand (Agurin)
Zed (NoWay)
Ezreal (Broeki)
Bard (Karni)
T1:
Vayne (Zeus)
Zac (Oner)
Azir (Faker)
Jhin (Gumayusi)
Zyra (Keria)
All players from T1 chose a champion with a T1 skin. Faker, who rarely plays with a skin, positively surprised the audience. He chose the T1 Azir skin from the player Easyhoon!
Champions such as Orianna, Neeko, Varus, Jax, and Renekton were banned. The biggest German LoL streamer and NNO midlaner NoWay originally wanted to play AD Varus, which the caster Masterplay (via YouTube) mentioned during the pick phase.
Masterplay stepped in for the caster Johnny, who couldn’t be there due to corona, which he announced on YouTube.
Here you can learn more about the Unkillable Demon King Faker, who became world champion for the fourth time this year:
Start video
The Life of Faker – Why He is a Living Legend
Highlights of NNO Old
It was evident that both teams enjoyed every second of the game and the players were often smiling. A particularly heartwarming moment occurred at the beginning of the match. T1 wrote the following words in all chat: mid, 5vs5, go (POV Tolkin via YouTube). The teams actually met ten on the mid lane, briefly exchanged emotes, and created a cool opening.
Here you can see the moment:
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Agurin and Oner made their way to gank on the bot lane. Just before Oner jumped into the fight with Zac, Agurin was able to deal significant damage to him from the tri-bush with Brand.
NNO presented themselves confidently and was finally able to take down Zac, marking NNO’s first kill in this show match. With every successful kill by NNO, the excitement in the hall grew, accompanied by an ear-splitting kill sound that echoed through the crowd with every kill.
Here you can see NNO’s first kill:
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In the ninth minute, Oner executed a gank in the mid lane, with Faker and Oner starting a tower dive against NoWay. NoWay impressed with his outstanding skill, careful movement, and a good ulti with Zed to escape Azir’s ulti, narrowly surviving the gank.
This moment made the fans’ hearts race. The audience held their breath as NoWay barely survived the gank.
Here you can see the impressive play:
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Before the play, Karni interrupted Gumayusi’s ultimate with his ultimate. As T1 then built pressure in the mid lane, Karni showcased his precise timing. He used his Q with Bard exactly when a Zyra plant was placed behind Zeus, allowing him to stun Zeus by hitting two targets. This led Broeki to secure the kill against Zeus.
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A particularly beautiful moment occurred in the arena when the audience began to count down because they knew that NNO Old had achieved it at that moment. They held out until the 17th minute – longer than MAD Lions. T1 had overrun MAD Lions this year at the MSI with a game that lasted barely 17 minutes.
Overall, the game lasted over 28 minutes, which was probably also because T1 played less seriously in the friendly match, and in my opinion, NNO did very well overall.
Tolkin also had it hard against Vayne on the top lane as Camille, even if Zeus is the objectively better player, as Tolkin shared on X. At the end of the game, the audience honored both teams with a touching standing ovation.
The match between T1 and NNO at the “Red Bull League of Its Own” event was definitely a unique spectacle that will stay in my memory forever. It was undoubtedly the most emotional game I have ever experienced.
Disclaimer: MeinMMO was present as a press representative at the Red Bull League of Its Own event. The costs for entry, travel, and accommodation were covered by the organizers.
How did you like the event? Were you there? How did you find the match NNO vs T1? Feel free to write it in the comments.
The best counters against Kyurem in Pokémon GO in the guide. We show you the best attackers and movesets. With this, you can defeat the boss in raids.
What kind of Pokémon is Kyurem? Kyurem is from the fifth generation of games and has the types Dragon and Ice. It belongs to the Tao Trio together with Reshiram and Zekrom.
When does Kyurem appear? You will find the boss starting December 16 at 10:00 AM local time in Pokémon GO. It will remain in the game until December 23, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time. Here we show you the best counters against Kyurem and which types it is weak against (type effectiveness).
Defeating Kyurem in Raid – With these counters
Crypto-Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
Mega-Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Aird Slash
Mega-Diancie with Stone Edge and Dazzling Gleam
Mega-Gardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword
Mega-Blaziken with Counter and Focus Blast
Keldeo with Low Kick and Sacred Sword
Crypto-Rhydon with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker
Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
Proto-Groudon with Dragon Tail and Precipice Blades
Mega-Latios with Fire Blast and Dragon Claw
Mega-Krookodile with Dragon Tail and Outrage
Mega-Tyranitar with Smack Down and Stone Edge
Crypto-Excadrill with Metal Claw and Iron Head
Lucario with Counter and Aura Sphere
Mega-Alakazam with Counter and Dazzling Gleam
Mega-Latias with Fire Blast and Outrage
Crypto-Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Crypto-Hariyama with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Mega-Aerodactyl with Stone Edge and Rock Slide
Weaknesses of Kyurem: The Pokémon is of types Dragon and Ice and is therefore vulnerable to Fighting, Rock, Steel, Dragon, and Fairy. So in raids, focus mainly on attacks and Pokémon of these types to defeat Kyurem.
Is there Shiny Kyurem? Yes, you can catch Shiny Kyurem in Pokémon GO. We show you in the graphic what the shiny version looks like:
Kyurem in its normal appearance and as Shiny in comparison
How many trainers are needed? With the best counters at high levels, you can defeat the boss with two or three people. At lower levels but with strong counters, you should rely on more trainers. To complete raids quickly, groups with many participants are recommended.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fntastic, the studio behind the once most wanted game on Steam, announces its closure just a few days after release. MeinMMO reveals what will happen with The Day Before.
Which game is it about? The Day Before was once supposed to be a survival MMO that aimed to impress with stunning graphics and realistic zombies. The project became the most wished game on Steam, but then everything went wrong:
In May 2022, the release was unexpectedly postponed
The Day Before provides new impressions in the final trailer
‘We invested blood, sweat, and tears into the game for five years’
What do the developers say now? In a statement that appeared on X on December 11, the developer Fntastic announced the closure just a few days after launch. The Day Before has “financially failed”, and now there is a lack of funds to continue, it says.
The revenue will now be used to pay off debts to the studio’s partners.
Fntastic insists that this was not a scam: It was their first major game, and for five years they put blood, sweat, and tears into it. They simply miscalculated, it further states.
The complete statement in English can be found here:
What happens now? The future of The Day Before and Propnight, the other game from the studio, is uncertain. Fntastic only announces that they will keep the servers operational. It remains to be seen how long they can uphold this promise.
If you are among the players who had high hopes for The Day Before and were bitterly disappointed, you might still find an alternative in our survival list. Were you able to convince the game despite all the criticism? Then feel free to let us know in the comments.
The highly anticipated “Fallout” series has a new trailer. New material was shown at the Game Awards, which already conveys a fitting post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Among other things, we see the protagonists of the series, as well as some sets, costumes, and weapons.
What is the series about? Like in the original, the series of the same name takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. At its center is a young woman named Lucy. She lives in one of the bunkers, called “Vaults” in the series. There, one is safe from the deadly radiation on the surface. As we see in the trailer for the series, she will have to leave the protective vault to face the many adversities of the wasteland.
During the Game Awards, a new trailer for the “Fallout” series was shown:
Start video
Fallout – New Trailer for the Series at the Game Awards
Who is starring? The lead role will feature British actress Ella Purnell as Lucy. Movie fans may know her from Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” Alongside her, Aaron Moten plays the young soldier Maximus, who is part of the Steel Brotherhood, a well-known faction from the games.
A ghoul will also play a central role in the plot. In the trailer, we see American actor Walton Goggins (known from “The Hateful Eight”) as a radiated bounty hunter. Beneath the deceptively realistic mask, he is hardly recognizable.
What are the reactions to the trailer? Under the trailer published on YouTube, many enthusiastic voices are mingling. However, some fear that the high expectations arising from the trailer may not be met:
“This looks so good! I hope that the series combines the comedic and dramatic elements well,” says the user “@xtcyrafa”.
Some users are bothered by the few new images compared to the first trailer: “I think I’ve seen this trailer a few days ago,” says @Xsurian.
The cast of the series is already receiving quite a bit of advance praise:
@lucifer0247 looks forward to the ghoul: “Honestly, I think Walton Goggins will be the star of the series.”
Also, the lead actress appeals to many users, such as “@levinemgl1”: “Ella Purnell is one of my favorite actresses and I am very excited to see her in this role.”
Next to the actors, a soldier in the iconic power armor appeared on stage. Many viewers express their enthusiasm for the authentic implementation and sheer size. “The power armor looks fantastic,” writes the user @JohnnyRocker023, and he is by no means alone in his opinion.
If the actual series can maintain this level in terms of costumes and set design, we can expect a detailed journey into the post-apocalyptic world of the wasteland. So far, the community seems to be positively inclined. By the time the series starts in April 2024, we will finally know more.
Jens “Knossi” Knossalla is probably the biggest entertainer on German Twitch. He is impressed by the talent of a young aspiring streamer: He predicts a great career for 17-year-old Fibi “Fibii” Pfeiffer.
Which streamer is it about?At just 16 years old, Fibi “Fibii” Pfeiffer became one of the biggest female streamers on German-language Twitch. Now she is 17 and will celebrate her 18th birthday in January 2024.
Knossi, on the other hand, has already spent several years in show business. The 37-year-old is an entertainer through and through. In a stream on December 5, 2023, he expressed his admiration for the show business qualities of his young Twitch colleague.
Although Knossi is among the biggest German streamers, his true love is television. You can watch more about the illustrious career of the 37-year-old in our video:
Start video
From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
Knossi predicts a bright future for Fibii
What does Knossi say about Fibii? “Fibii is incredibly talented,” Knossi explained to his viewers in the stream. Three points particularly distinguish the streamer in the eyes of the entertainer: her humor, her spontaneity, and her timing when it comes to jokes.
If she continues to develop like this, Knossi believes there will certainly be much more from her in the future. “She knows exactly what hits where and when, she has that show business instinct,” Knossi sums up. You can watch the corresponding stream excerpt here:
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In particular, Knossi is impressed by how far Fibii has come at such a young age. What the future holds for the streamer and how her career will develop remains to be seen. However, the entertainer is sure that we will hear a lot from the 17-year-old: “Remember my words: She’s a big one, she has what it takes.”
Knossi also notes that he would like to personally share his impressions with Fibii. He is not even sure if she is aware of her talent. Such praise from an experienced colleague could surely be valuable for the streamer, especially since she has recently struggled with hate comments and even questioned her career choice:
The TMORPG Book of Travels started its Early Access on October 11, 2023, on Steam. Although the title sounded so promising at the beginning, there are now only a few players active in the game. Nevertheless, the development team is taking the time to completely overhaul the combat system and introduce new features like boss fights.
What is Book of Travels?
Book of Travels is not an MMORPG, but a TMORPG. The T stands for “tiny” – you are in an online world, but there are a maximum of 30 players on the servers.
The focus of the game is on exploration and the role-playing aspect. We encounter other players, but we do not necessarily have to continue the journey with them.
The interaction with other players should still remain one of the highlights. Therefore, the development team decided to completely refrain from chat. Instead, there are only emotes.
However, after two years in Early Access on Steam, Book of Travels seems to have faded into oblivion. At the time of this news, only 13 people are playing the title simultaneously, with 52 people within the last 24 hours (via steamdb.info).
Just a week after the release, the number of players halved from 1,390 people. But the development team is now taking action to rekindle players’ interest.
You can admire the gameplay of the game in the following trailer:
Start video
Book of Travels is a TMORPG and shows some gameplay
These are the changes Book of Travels wants to make
What has been revised? In a message on Steam, the development team from Might and Delight informs that it has overhauled the combat system. Currently, players can test the new combat system and provide feedback to the developers.
The new combat system includes a bar that indicates when which enemy and player can attack. The bar is divided into a decision phase and an action phase. The faster the corresponding status value of a player, the quicker their icon races across the bar.
What else does the team want to change? Another feature, which will come in a future update, is the boss fight. Currently, it is only possible to form a group with a small number of players. The team wants to increase that number, so players can defeat stronger boss opponents.
Additionally, more features are to follow:
Duels: There should be fights without the immediate fear of death.
Loot: Will be dropped by NPCs.
More enemy types: These include kettem, wolves, and maisu.
UI: The user interface is to become more readable.
Weapons: There will be more weapons in the future.
Multiplayer: Reviving players should become easier.
Tutorial: Getting started should be easier for newcomers.
The number of participants who can currently test at least the combat system is limited to 40 testers. The status of the upcoming features is currently unknown. However, the development team wants to increase the number if there is demand.
If you are looking for an MMORPG on Steam, this list might help you:
With The Finals, a new shooter has emerged that aims to revolutionize the genre with its innovative approach to map destruction. We will show you 10 tips that will give you an advantage in your rounds.
What kind of tips are these? The Finals offers various gadgets and abilities, as well as map features that you can use tactically. We want to show you ways with these 10 tips to gain an advantage over your opponents or to counter the tactics of your adversaries.
The tips are in no particular order. Accordingly, Tip 2 can be just as useful as Tip 10.
Tip 1: Use map destruction tactically
In The Finals, you can demolish numerous buildings. It is possible to tear down individual walls, blow up floors and ceilings, and bring entire houses down by destroying load-bearing walls. It can be very helpful if you use destruction deliberately and tactically.
For example, if you blow up the floor under a safe with C4, it will fall one floor lower. If your opponents have set up automatic turrets or shields at the safe, you can bypass them.
Tip 2: Rock, Paper, Scissors – but with grenades and mines
In The Finals, there is a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” principle. If you want to steal a safe, but it is enveloped in toxic gas, you can counter it with the right grenade:
Fire is effective against gas
Smoke is effective against fire
Simply throw a Molotov cocktail into a gas cloud and you will see how the fire ignites the gas, dissolving it. A regular smoke grenade, in turn, extinguishes fire.
Start video
In The Finals you can live out your destruction rage – Trailer for the Open Beta
Tip 3: Destroy ziplines and ladders
You can and should occasionally destroy ziplines and ladders. If you have a safe in a higher position, it can save you crucial time if you destroy the ladders and ziplines that lead to you.
To destroy ziplines, you simply need to shoot at the attachment or strike it with a melee attack. The same applies to ladders.
Tip 4: Place jump pads at an angle
Jump pads are a very effective tool when you want to quickly ascend rooftops with your team. Just throw one down in front of you on the ground and jump into the air. However, you can also use jump pads to cover distance forward.
If you place a jump pad at an angle on the ground, so that it is not pointing straight up but slightly forward, you can easily jump from house to house.
A player waited a week for feedback from the Steam support. In his desperation, he personally wrote to Valve boss Gabe Newell. Completely unexpectedly, Newell sent him a quick response.
When facing technical problems, everyone hopes for quick help. Unfortunately, the reality is often different. One waits in vain for a quick response from support teams or receives an answer that they did not want to hear.
A Steam player reported such a case regarding his account. He could no longer log in. His message to Steam support was already a week old. Without getting his hopes up too much, he decided to write directly to the head of Steam.
In the end, everyone at Valve is part of the player support team
Why did the player write directly to Gabe Newell? The Steam user that_earlyguy had problems with his Steam account. To fix the login error, he contacted the support team of the gaming platform. He hoped for a prompt response. But after a whole week had passed, he still had not received an answer.
Gabe Newell, head of Valve, also likes to advertise for his Steam Deck:
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Happy Birthday Steam Deck
However, the player that_earlyguy did not think about giving up and found out the email address of Gabe Newell, the head of Valve himself. He explained his problem to Newell and that he had already been waiting for a whole week for a response from the support team.
What happened next? Within a few hours, the player actually received a response from the Steam boss. He asked that_earlyguy for his ticket number and ended his email with the statement In the end, everyone at Valve is part of the player support team.Maybe Newell was just taking a break from playing DOTA 2 and had some time.
The player was astonished. In his second message to Newell, he told him the required ticket number. In addition, the player emphasized how grateful he was for the reaction of the Steam boss.
After two more hours, Steam support finally got back to that_earlyguy. They apologized to him for the delay and informed him that his access password for his Steam account had been reset. The new password had been sent to him via email.
Is the story already over? No, not quite. In his enthusiasm, the player wrote another message to Gabe Newell. He thanked the Valve boss once again but also had a request. Since he was so thrilled with Newell’s response, he wanted to spread the case via some social media channels (via imgur.com).
He feared that other players might follow his example and instead of writing to support, they could flood the head of Valve with similar requests. On the other hand, he believed that fans and customers should know how much Newell cares for the concerns of each individual and takes them seriously.
In a final brief response, the Steam head granted him permission to publish their conversation. And once again, that_earlyguy could not believe what he read. Newell reaffirmed his first statement by saying that everyone at Valve belongs to support and therefore any employee should be contacted in case of problems.
Are there more such cases? Yes, this support action by Gabe Newell was not supposed to be the only one. Another player reported about the blocking of his account on steamgifts.com. His little brother was said to have fallen victim to a scammer and redeemed a stolen credit card on his Steam account.
Another Steam user reported on Reddit about a weapon skin he had purchased through an external website. The skin was supposedly stolen. The result was also here a blocking of the account. After many months of unsuccessful attempts to regain his access and the skins contained therein, the user was also ultimately helped by Gabe Newell.
These stories show that even people in high positions like Gabe Newell as CEO of Valve focus on things we thought they didn’t care about. It also proves once again that the Steam boss is a “down-to-earth” personality and nurtures this image with such actions.
Additionally: Use the search term “Year2018” in the Pokémon overview to display all monsters that you caught that year. They are now also eligible for the guaranteed lucky trade. You can adjust the search term depending on the year.
What counts towards the limit for lucky trades in Pokémon GO?
What you should note: The limit of 25 now applies for all trainers, and if, for example, you had only used 15 guaranteed trades before, you now have 10 additional lucky trades available. Lucky trades that were activated randomly and not during the “Guaranteed Period” currently do not count towards this limit.
Trainers in the Pokémon GO community on the subreddit “TheSilphRoad” note, however, that you might have exceeded 15 (via reddit). This would be the case if, for example, you activated 15 such trades with an “old” Pokémon yourself and then carried out further trades where the guaranteed lucky trade was triggered by “old” Pokémon from other trainers. Each “Guaranteed” lucky trade thus counts towards the limit of both trainers.
You cannot view your own status of “guaranteed” trades in the game. Therefore, you can only keep track or keep trading guaranteed lucky Pokémon until it no longer works.
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Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
What does a lucky trade bring in Pokémon GO?
This is the lucky trade: In a lucky trade, both trainers receive a Pokémon from each other that has two advantages:
It has at least IV values of 12/12/12, meaning it has good values (The highest possible values would be 15/15/15)
Additionally, its stardust costs for leveling up are reduced by 50%
So you get a good Pokémon that you can level up cheaper.
Bravely, I ventured into the post-apocalyptic world of “The Day Before”, hoping for an engaging survival experience. The announcements and trailers had raised my expectations high, despite the prior issues. Unfortunately, my excitement was quickly met by harsh reality. Because the game is currently not really good even in Early Access.
Like many others, I was very interested after the first trailer of the new survival shooter “The Day Before”. It immediately landed on my wishlist on Steam, as the environments and the setting suggested it had the potential for a promising game and could be exciting as an open-world MMO in the long term.
In my mind, I was already dreaming of a worthy Division successor, combining the setting of Ubisoft’s cover shooter with challenging survival aspects.
I wanted to explore New Fortune City and loot massive skyscrapers, business centers, shopping malls, stadiums, and much more, just like Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead.
In addition, survival aspects that force me to pay attention to my character and his surroundings. After all, I could be overrun at any moment by a horde of infected, zombie-like enemies.
The construction of my own base and the repair of vehicles were also mentioned, which quite reminded me of the detail-loving gameplay of SCUM, which I was never averse to.
After what felt like an eternity, due to delays and trademark issues, the big day of truth had come. I could play “The Day Before” for the first time and lost my hope again.
“The Day Before” was supposed to be the new Division, but the trailers promise too much:
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The Day Before – 10 Minutes Gameplay
“The Day Before” was supposed to be the new The Division
On December 7, 2023, at 7:00 PM, the game was released for installation on Steam. So it did exist, and I immediately started the download.
I knew that the survival shooter would first appear in Early Access. A few bugs had never stopped me from trying a game, and it was running quite well until the character menu. But during the server selection came the first sobering moment.
As often happens with “Early Access” launches, developers tend to underestimate the situation that thousands of players want to test the game immediately in the first hours. And so I found myself in front of a server list, where there were no capacities available for me to join for an eternity.
Unfortunately, there is also no queue system in “The Day Before”. I had to scroll and hope with constant reloads to find a spot on a not-so-full server.
With Patch 1.0.1, the developers have already reacted to this circumstance and removed all full servers from the overview list, so now you only see the servers that have free spots.
If you manage to get in, you wake up in the social hub of Woodberry and are sent to Chris after a short sequence with the doctor.
By the way, Chris is the sharp-looking guy from the striking teaser image of “The Day Before”. However, the quality in the game is less good:
Chris is the leader of Woodberry in The Day Before
The animations and the design of the characters and the environment in “The Day Before” cannot convince me even at maximum graphics settings.
The voice of leader Chris also reminds me of the armory trader from SCUM, just like the system of having to constantly improve his character for looting.
Nevertheless, the small refuge of Woodberry feels quite nice. There are various merchants, including a stockpiler, a bartender, or the weapons manager. Of course, there must also be a workbench to upgrade and improve my firearms.
I also immediately receive my own property by the lake and can already make myself comfortable there. But I wanted to finally see the “beautiful and detailed” New Fortune City and experience corresponding action.
An endless list of technical problems
However, instead of infected and loot, I was again greeted by a chaotic collection of bugs. Objects only appeared after I looked away once. Moreover, “The Day Before” crashed several times while I was completing tasks in build mode on my property. After logging back in, I was again in Woodberry, but still trapped in the building menu. Only creating a new character could help.
In short: The technical issues on the launch night were virtually endless. Not just for me, but also for my friends, who also wanted to take their first rounds in the game. Occasionally, my character had no head, then a huge head, as large as a tetherball. Sometimes I was half-naked or slid across the ground like a crumpled mop.
Since the game is still in Early Access, I won’t raise these difficulties as a critique point, even if they went beyond “a few bugs”.
“The Day Before” sounded too good to be true
At the start in Early Access, the servers were almost always overloaded
Finally in the “big” city: The next day, I managed to explore the city. But I quickly found myself longing to be locked up in the social hub again.
Yes, New Fortune City definitely has Division vibes. But nothing more. The developers promised an open world that could be explored. But what I experienced was hardly exciting or interesting, and the zombies were probably on vacation.
The city feels too empty, there are too few NPC enemies. You only occasionally hear the grunting of an infected person who probably still has to gather his buddies for the upcoming zombie apocalypse. You can also just run away from them; they rarely follow.
When you finally encounter an infected person, it feels like luck. This goes for the game world as well as for the poor handling with the different weapons.
Hits are registered too late by the game and completely at the wrong spot. Real players are the bigger threat because there is no radar.
When I run out of ammunition, I am completely defenseless. There is no melee combat.
After just a few runs, you grasp almost everything of this surprisingly small and monotonous world. It’s currently just limited terrain with little depth.
Furthermore, there is the confusing sound location. There are much too loud and shrill alarm sounds that seem to follow me for miles. Shots and footsteps from players are also hard to locate.
Even looting, which is supposed to be the heart of the game, turned out to be disappointing. Instead of meaningful resource utilization and strategic planning, I found myself in an endless chase for seemingly random items that make little sense for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. In refrigerators, you find lipstick; in delicate women’s handbags, car batteries.
Returning to Woodberry takes place via the extraction points. However, you rarely manage to get out with the loot. At the points, you are taken out by other players, so you quickly lose weapons and loot, except for the things in the protective bag. And purchasing equipment again is expensive – just like cars.
At least you have enough time during the extremely long loading screens to realize that this game, advertised as an open-world survival MMO, is unfortunately just light survival combined with an extraction shooter.
My dream of “The Day Before” as an eye-opening experience has thus popped. What remains is a simple extraction shooter without soul and with boring collect quests, from which probably no exciting open-world survival and certainly no MMO will arise.
Let’s hope that future updates will not only resolve the technical problems but also steer the gaming experience in a better direction, making the extraction gameplay at least more compelling. However, at this point, I would not recommend the game.
The Finals is a new shooter that fans of the genre can dive into. Many wanted to play the game, but on Steam you can’t launch the shooter or have to deal with crashes. We show you what you can do about it.
Having trouble launching The Finals? Here’s what you can do: You want to start The Finals, but you are greeted with a black screen? Then you should first check the required system requirements:
Minimum Requirements
Recommended
Operating System
Windows 10 or latest updates
Windows 10 or latest updates
Processor
Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen R5 1600 processor
Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor
Memory
12 GB RAM
16 GB RAM
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 580
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
DirectX
Version 12
Version 12
If you have the correct setup, it would be worth taking a look at your graphics driver. Perhaps you are missing a new update or you need to reinstall it.
If everything is fine with your driver, you should check your game files and see if they are installed correctly. Go to Steam, open your library, and select The Finals, then click on “Properties”. Now click on “Installed Files” and then on the button “Verify integrity of game files”. The system will now check your files and see if everything is installed correctly.
If the game still doesn’t start, you should consider a new installation. Once you can finally log in, you should lower your graphics settings and set your FPS. For outdated hardware, 60 FPS is sufficient, while newer hardware can be set to 100 – 120 FPS.
Those were all the options you could consider so far. If none of this helped, you’ll have to wait for a patch soon.
The Finals crashes? Here’s what you can do: If you can log into The Finals, but the game keeps throwing you out of a match, we have some solutions for you.
Remove your shortcut from Steam and Embark. According to YoutubeSCREAM (via youtube.com), this tip comes from the community. Players report that after following this procedure, they were able to play without crashes. It’s worth a try.
If that didn’t help, you can change your launch options for The Finals. Some community users report that they changed their launch option to “-d3d11” which means DirectX11. This has also been known to help back in the beta. You can find the option on Steam under properties (desired game) -> General -> Launch Options. There you enter “-d3d11” and start The Finals.
A final tip from the community is to disable recording software and applications that are running in the background, such as music or browsers. So open your task manager and close the programs that you don’t need while playing The Finals.
These were helpful tips on how you can get The Finals running on your PC. What methods have you used, and did any of our tips help you? Let us know in the comments!
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an icon of action cinema, and with his stature and his existence as a bodybuilder, he shaped the era. However, during his shoot for Conan 2, he met a legendary wrestler, where Schwarzenegger no longer looked like the big giant Conan.
Arnold Schwarzenegger shaped action cinema as a professional bodybuilder and created the character of a muscle-bound hero who fights alone against massive dangers, which he even sees as reality. Yet despite his stature, there were also people who were larger than him and next to whom he no longer looked like the big action hero.
In “The Rich Eisen Show,” Arnold Schwarzenegger shares how he met the legendary French wrestler “André The Giant” and basketball player Wilt Chamberlain.
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Trailer for the Schwarzenegger movie “Conan the Barbarian”
I look like Danny DeVito among these guys
In a clip from The Rich Eisen Show, Arnold Schwarzenegger recounts how he met the iconic wrestler André The Giant and the basketball player Wilt Chamberlain during the shoot for Conan the Barbarian 2.
In the show, a picture is shown of young Arnold standing between the two giants. At his 1.88 m, he appears next to Chamberlain at 2.16 m and André The Giant at 2.24 m like the great barbarian Conan. Schwarzenegger himself comments that he looks like Danny DeVito between the two.
I weighed 235 pounds (approx. 107 kg) at that point, but I look like a dwarf, I look like Danny DeVito among these guys.
In this context, he also shares a story about him and André. Both were in a Mexican restaurant, and after the meal, Schwarzenegger wanted to pay, but André said: No, I’ll pay. However, Schwarzenegger insisted on paying for the meal. To which André just replied again: No, I’ll pay.
When Schwarzenegger would not back down, André simply lifted him up and set him on a shelf:
I said, No, I insist, then he grabs me like this and lifts me up like a little child and puts me on a shelf, […] and I sit up there and he goes and pays the bill.
At the beginning of the video, he also talks about the football player Jim Brown, with whom he worked for Running Man. He shares how fantastic Brown was on set and that he didn’t need a stuntman for the scenes.
During the conversation, one can see how much respect Arnold Schwarzenegger has for his fellow athletes, regardless of the sport. However, he initially had a bad relationship with one colleague:
In Sweden, one has been waiting since 1974 for North Korea to pay its bills. Meanwhile, one is waiting for 300 million euros. The reason for this is 1,000 cars sold to the state.
What was the agreement? In 1974, the European state of Sweden made a deal with North Korea. In the 1970s, North Korea’s economy was surprisingly good, and the country was not yet as isolated as it is today.
Sweden hoped to gain several advantages from a trade deal with North Korea:
On the one hand, they wanted to benefit from the country’s upswing. In the 1970s, things were going quite well for North Korea.
On the other hand, they wanted to gain access to the country’s natural resources. Sweden could have benefited in the long run from this.
North Korea found the proposal great: The establishment of diplomatic and economic relations would have greatly benefited North Korea and would have reduced its isolation.
When the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo then offered the country 1,000 units of the Volvo 144, they agreed.
To this day, Sweden waits for North Korea to pay its bills
What happened next? After the cars were shipped, the debts began to accumulate. North Korea had no intention of repaying the debts.
But the Swedes have not forgotten the trade: The Swedish government keeps track of all investments made by its companies abroad. The Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN) offers companies and banks credit insurance (guarantees) to protect them from defaults on export transactions. And here, payment defaults from export transactions like the North Korea deal are also listed. Meanwhile, the debts have accumulated to around 300 million euros.
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Commercial for the Joule Kitchen Appliance with Gabe Newell from Valve
Where does the large sum come from? As a Swedish official explained to Newsweek, the agency responsible for insurance against defaults abroad checks North Korea’s accounts twice a year to see if North Korea has paid its bills.
Then, they also calculate inflation and applicable interest on the total amount. After 50 years, this adds up to quite a large sum.
More on cars: A user has actually installed graphics cards in his car to mine Bitcoin. This has upset many gamers because the driver thought it was quite funny:
Video game adaptations have a hard time. Too many failed representatives of this cinematic sub-genre have contributed to the fact that with every new announcement, eyebrows are raised skeptically at first. But why are there so many bad adaptations of our favorite games? I will try to find some reasons for this below.
What is the value of a video game adaptation? Or in other words: What justifies the existence of a film that rarely offers more, but in most cases offers less than the interactive original? Because the one thing that distinguishes the game from the film is that very interactivity. The game allows us to take control, make more or less free choices, and thus shape the story of our protagonists.
In film, it’s different. We have to content ourselves with being viewers (and staying that way, even if there are attempts to establish interactive films, see Black Mirror – Bandersnatch).
Once a game is adapted into a film, it therefore loses its greatest strength. This already poses a significant problem for most films of this kind. They don’t know how to compensate meaningfully for the lack of interactivity. A good adaptation is characterized by setting its own impulses and cleverly playing to the strengths of the film medium.
Who is writing here? Christoph Waldboth is a film lover across all genres. Whether it’s profound drama, explosive action, or imaginative animation – spinning wild theories about his favorite films is as much a passion of his as is writing about them.
The Problem with Gameplay
That’s why gameplay is so hard to translate to the big screen: A commonly occurring problem in video game adaptations is the makers’ urge to show as many gameplay elements as possible that viewers know from the underlying game on screen. Following the motto: Do you remember this item? Do you remember how you used that special combat skill? You are aware that you spend most of your time in the game running over rooftops, right?
Just because it’s a lot of fun to do the latter in Assassin’s Creed, doesn’t mean that it’s enjoyable to watch for a long time in the film of the same name. Instead, one should have focused on an exciting story in this case, but finding one takes a long time. The conflict between Templars and Assassins would provide enough potential for an exciting story, yet the film quickly sinks into a sea of action clichés and, over the years, into oblivion.
Technically speaking, this is not a video game adaptation, but the film still has to deal with the complex rules of a pen-and-paper system – and does so with flying colors. Elegantly integrated into the plot and the actions of the protagonists, it never gives the impression that well-known spells, combat moves, or the like are merely included for their own sake. Instead, everything feels plausible and makes sense. The audience gets the impression of attending an actual D&D session, complete with quirky ideas and spontaneous plans from the hero group. The film is also an exemplary model in terms of storytelling.
Have you seen the D&D film? Here you can take a look at the trailer:
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Second Official Trailer for the Movie
Did someone say story?
Some video game adaptations show a notable fear. It’s the fear of straying too far from the source material. Whether one bows before their own ideas or the mob of angry fans is open to debate, in the end, it’s the lack of courage that makes many adaptations simply boring.
Often, cinematic means are used to show what we already know. This often falls into the category of “fan service,” which alone does not make a good film.
It would be nice if more films understood the game and its universe merely as a foundation to then create something of their own from it. A new, fresh story along with interesting characters. A positive example in this regard is once again Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Or the Netflix series Arcane, which does not leave League of Legends newbies like me completely clueless, but presents a fascinating world including exciting characters, additionally in an innovatively cinematic guise.
With that, Arcane does exactly what Warcraft: The Beginning fails to do. Namely, to provide context to audiences who are unfamiliar with the gaming universe. The series wants to welcome everyone into its world, while the Blizzard film repeatedly leaves non-initiates standing in the rain.
Fundamentally important here is that it is a game whose story is already strong in itself and is told in a cinematic way.The Last of Us is inherently better suited for adaptation than Super Mario.
Easter eggs are more curse than blessing
Yes, I’m looking at you, Super Mario. The Italian plumber is notoriously part of one of the most absurd game adaptations ever. The year was 1993 and the film was a fever dream. Instead of a colorful mushroom kingdom, there were dystopia-like backdrops, creepy masks, and bad acting. The target audience was clearly missed. However, this year Nintendo achieved a great triumph from a financial perspective. The Super Mario Bros. Movie quickly became the most successful video game film of all time.
Even the trailer shows the intricate details of the settings. They are filled with Easter eggs, a characteristic of many game adaptations, and in my opinion, not necessarily a good one. Don’t get me wrong: One or the other Easter egg can indeed enrich a film.
But when a film offers little more than reminding us wryly of the source material and the associated experiences, the question about its justification arises again.
Even a film like Ready Player One, which, although it does not adapt a game, quotes many games and stages its action scenes like video games, can offer little more than a ton of Easter eggs, garnished with a weak story.
If the underlying story or universe is too weak in terms of storytelling, as is the case with Super Mario, a film adaptation makes little sense given that film is a narrative medium.
Translating a game into a film is not an easy task. As mentioned earlier, it requires some courage to leave behind the well-trodden paths and to dare something new. Often, it already fails in this respect during the conception phase, for example because producers of large studios do not dare to invest large sums and take the risk. If they do dare, they lack a willingness to take artistic risks.
Artistic courage is always a risk at the box office. Innovative directors are therefore rarely allowed to work on these projects. It’s no coincidence that adaptations of Bioshock by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) have failed.
Many video game adaptations, especially older ones, are known for their sometimes disastrous quality. Not only was there a lack of courage in execution, but also a lack of expertise in direction, screenwriting, and acting. Anyone who has ever seen a Mortal Kombat film, the never-ending Resident Evil series by Paul W.S. Anderson, or the cinematic crimes of Uwe Boll knows what I’m talking about. The budgets of these serially produced films are often correspondingly low – and you can see that.
All of this would be bearable if the story, the characters, and the overall artistic vision were convincing. The overall package of mediocrity (or worse) makes many adaptations feel like a tragicomedy.
How could it be done better?
Here are a few suggestions for better video game adaptations: The game to be adapted for the big screen must be suitable for it. This excludes games that are purely based on mechanics (or would you want to see a Counter Strike film?). The game must have an exciting story or interesting universe that offers more than we already know. The film must set its own impulses to distinguish itself from the game. This requires a strong artistic vision, thus directors who dare to take risks. Depending on the game you are addressing, a reasonable budget is needed to ensure the adaptation does not seem ridiculous.
And most importantly:
A video game adaptation needs heart and passion. Too often, such films have been attempts to quickly and effortlessly make money. It may be presumptuous to expect something like passion from the film industry, which is primarily driven by profit, but there are enough positive examples that show that a compromise between financial success and dedication to the art is possible.
The films deserve it just as much as the games that underpin them.
The new sandbox game Reka takes inspiration from the Slavic folklore of Baba Yaga and builds its own experience from it. The developers plan an early access in the second quarter of 2024 on Steam, more content is expected to come during development.
What kind of game is this?
In Reka, you play as the apprentice of a Baba Yaga, a witch in a walking house that moves on chicken legs through a dense forest.
In terms of style, the game is reminiscent of Valheim, but it does away with the strange pixel look. Nonetheless, Reka appears quite comic-like.
At its core, it is a sandbox survival game focusing on base building and exploration. According to current information, there will be no co-op mode.
These are the features: The main feature of the game is the walking house, which you can freely design and decorate. Reka places value on both the creative expansion of your home and the environments through which you move.
The biggest difference from other genre representatives is the setting: as a witch, you not only build your house but also brew potions and can even tame wild animals that will accompany you. The themes of nature and nature magic are expected to be frequently present in the world.
Furthermore, Reka is supposed to feature a kind of quest system. True to the legend of Baba Yaga, you can visit villages and listen to what the people want from you. You then decide whether to help the people or to exploit and deceive them.
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Reka: The trailer for the new survival game where you have a moving house
Early access on Steam until mid-2024, more content afterwards
Reka is being developed by Emberstorm Entertainment, a small developer studio from Berlin that received several nominations at Gamescom 2023. A collaboration with an author for the story is also planned. We don’t know more about that yet.
The game is expected to be released in early access in the second quarter of 2024, so by June 30th. A specific date is still pending. The release is currently only planned for PC on Steam; nothing is yet known about a version for PS5 or Xbox.
The developers are currently planning to release the game in chapters. The first early access is supposed to encompass the prologue and the first chapter. Later, additional areas of the map, quests, recipes, and more will be added.
If you want to pass the time while waiting, you’ll find some games in our list that are set to be released sooner:
Attention fans of Nordic action thrillers: Currently, there is a particularly darkly humorous representative of the genre available for free on the ZDF Mediathek. Starring: Stellan Skarsgård. If you don’t want to miss the bloody spectacle, you need to hurry. The film is only available for free in the Mediathek until December 17.
Which film is it about? One After Another, by Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland, is from the year 2014. The film premiered in the competition at the Berlinale, which is the third largest film festival in the world.
The story is about Nils Dickmann, a Swede who lives in Norway and works as a snowplow driver. When his son Ingvar is found dead, the police assume a self-inflicted drug overdose. Nils doesn’t want to believe that his son was a junkie and soon falls into a deep depression. It’s only when a friend of his son visits him and tells him that Ingvar was the victim of the local drug mafia that Nils finds new strength. He wants to take revenge on his son’s murderers. What follows is a bloody rampage through the snowy Norwegian landscape.
Even in the trailer of One After Another it becomes clear: Despite the serious starting point, there is still enough room for plenty of dark humor:
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One After the Other – Movie Trailer
Who is the main actor? Stellan Skarsgård, like his character, is Swedish. Fans of Marvel know him as Professor Erik Selvig from the Avengers films. In the new adaptation of Dune, he was seen as Baron Harkonnen. Musical fans may remember his appearance in the Mamma Mia films, and friends of hard-hitting cinema know the actor as a regular guest in films by Lars von Trier.
Stellan Skarsgård is also known for his family aside from his work. His sons Alexander, Gustaf, Sam, Valter, and Bill are all working as actors. You probably know the latter as the horror clown Pennywise in the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
If you want to see the thriller, you need to act fast
How can you see the film? Not on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+ can you watch One After Another. Instead, you should take a detour to the ZDF Mediathek. The film is available there until December 17, but only between 10 PM and 6 AM. The reason for this is the age rating of 16 years. Due to German youth protection laws, public broadcasters are not allowed to show the film at an earlier time of day. Exceptions apply to those who sign up for an account.
Unlike established streaming services, you do not need a subscription for the ZDF Mediathek. You can stream the film completely free, just like all other content.
By the way, One After Another was remade in 2019. This time with Liam Neeson in the lead role.
